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The San Diego area has experienced a "brain gain" in recent
years, Cal State San Marcos President Karen Haynes said in her
annual report to the community, as more educated people have moved
to the region and alumni from CSUSM and other universities have
joined the local workforce.

"The brain drain we hear so much about is not afflicting our
region," she told an audience of 480 local government, education,
business and nonprofit leaders. "In fact, San Diego and its
surrounding counties rank among the handful of metropolitan areas
nationwide experiencing a brain gain."

A Forbes analysis of census data last year ranked the San Diego
County region as one of the top 10 metropolitan areas that have
seen increases in people with college educations.

Haynes said 85 percent of Cal State San Marcos graduates stay in
the region, building on its scientific and technical
industries.

"Because of the education here, we continue to create
knowledge-based jobs like biotechnology and health-related fields,"
she said in an interview.

By introducing students to hands-on projects and community
service, Haynes said, "We are educating our students to be globally
aware, culturally competent and socially engaged."

Students at the university are working on stem cell research and
malaria treatment, she said, and are studying adolescent brain
development and post-traumatic stress disorder. They are looking at
ways to teach English as a second language through mobile
technology, and how to improve reading through theater.

Nonetheless, Haynes cautioned, there is still a gap between the
number of educated workers needed and those completing degrees. By
2020, two-thirds of jobs will require a college degree or career
certificate, yet California will lack a million people needed to
fill those positions.

"Higher education is under attack, and the state's de-investment
in our students is real," she said. "We at Cal State San Marcos are
working tirelessly to reduce this gap for our region, but we cannot
do it alone."

The university has improved tutoring and counseling services,
created "freshmen learning communities" and expanded extension
learning programs at its San Marcos and Temecula campuses, Haynes
said.

Student retention and graduation has climbed, she said, despite
state funding cuts to the university that total $10,865,060 this
fiscal year.

Figures provided by the university show that the number of
freshmen who remain enrolled at the university after their first
year rose from 67 percent in 1995 to 80 percent in 2010. Meanwhile,
Haynes said, state and national continuation rates have remained
around 67 percent.

The campus has added seven buildings since she took the helm in
2004, along with softball and baseball fields, she said. It will
soon break ground on a student union, and it is seeking
partnerships and philanthropic support for a multipurpose
center.

"Engaged for the common good, preparing tomorrow's leaders,
building better communities and solving critical issues, there is
no limit to what an educated region can do," Haynes concluded.